Photo Credit: 111SKIN
There are many examples of power couples in culture today, but no two encapsulate the title more than Dr. Yannis Alexandrides and his wife and CEO, Eva Alexandridis. Together, the two have created an industry-changing company that impacts lives for the better. With Dr. Yannis providing the medical background and scientific solutions, and Eva providing her sharp business acumen and product development knowledge, the two created 111SKIN and helped revolutionize cosmetic surgeries.
Dr. Yannis Alexandrides is an American and European board-certified plastic surgeon, and one of the first to advocate for non-surgical procedures. He developed a skin serum to help his patients’ skin heal after trauma. Eva, after realizing the vast effectiveness and uses of the serum, brought it to the retail market and thus, 111SKIN was born.
The two work together in tandem in running the company, and today they talked with Haute Living to discuss their life-changing business, the secret to working together as a married couple, and the future of 111SKIN.
Photo Credit: 111SKIN
What was the inspiration behind starting the company?
Dr. Yannis Alexandrides (YA): The creation of our first product, The Dramatic Healing Serum, now known as the Y Theorem Repair Serum, I developed with the help of biochemists, to create a product to help accelerate the healing and quality of my patient’s skin after treatments. The success of this product led to our patients asking where they could purchase more, to use as a day-to-day serum, not only for post-recovery, and this inspired us to create 111SKIN with a capsule range of 8 products. For many years you could only find 111SKIN in my clinic. However, Harrods then approached us to launch 111SKIN and that was the start of our journey.
Eva Alexandridis (EA): We started our existence simply to enhance the clinical journey of our customers. We wanted to make their recovery better, and in turn, their experience a more positive one.
Is it a challenge working together as a married couple?
EA: I love working with Yannis on the product development side as this is a very creative process. Yannis is very much a practicing plastic surgeon and his weekly schedule is 3 full surgical hospital days and 2 days of consultations and treatments in his clinic. We meet at my office a few hours per week, but that is about it! As a CEO I have a very strong team – now over 100 people and am so glad that I do not have to share the day-to-day management of the business with Yannis as I can see how it could be stressful.
YA: It’s not a challenge for us to work together. I lead the research and development of new 111SKIN products but we have different yet supportive roles in the business. We rarely get into situations where we have different views. There have been times where we disagree, but the key is to differentiate between the relationship of being a spouse versus being part of a work team. We both recognize and respect each other’s strengths and values which helps.
How did you achieve a balance between work life and home life?
EA: Yannis has a very demanding job as a plastic surgeon and literally transforming the lives of patients, and I need to manage sales, operations, marketing! We are both very happy to work hard Monday to Friday and then to fully enjoy our weekends and nights.
Our mornings are spent with the kids and then a quick workout routine. The evenings are very much a family affair where we spend quality time with our two boys. I always look forward to Saturday mornings as we have a Latin dance class while the boys are at football practice. The rest of the weekend is usually unplanned, more often than not it involves watching football games, visiting museums, and going to the theatre.
YA: For me, the weekend is the weekend. It’s the time I set aside to spend with my family and play sports. I am keen on doing physical activity on a daily basis – cycling and playing football with my sons all help provide balance.
Photo Credit: 111SKIN
What advice would you offer other power couples who are nervous about beginning an endeavor together?
EA: I would say to have clear responsibilities and do not try to manage it all together. We all have different strengths and recognizing what you are better at is key. You should have satisfaction in what you do and if you try to take on too much it can create a lot of stress. But if you love what you do it becomes more than just work – it becomes a passion and a lasting career. I like to think that we have a harmony – Yannis brings a great deal of scientific knowledge to 111SKIN and I am better at managing our team – not just on the business side but also on a more humanitarian side/ I want to empower my team — which is 90 percent female, to love what they do but to also build their skills so they can shine in the beauty industry. Being a mother has given me a sense of responsibility and I love that 111SKIN is now in a position to support our charity partner – Women for Women International, which assists women in war conflict regions
YA: It’s key to set boundaries as to when you’re on and off business mode. Try not to talk about work when you are at home. Have boundaries and stick with them. It’s also important to define areas of expertise for each person based on your strengths and weaknesses so you can successfully divide and conquer.
What is the biggest lesson you two have learned from starting and successfully running 111SKIN?
EA: I thought long and hard about why I was given this amazing opportunity in life – to be able to create an exciting new beauty brand. I believe that beauty is a powerful entity – through beauty, you can build confidence and you can create joy in a small but meaningful way. For every product we sell, there is a client on the other side who experiences an emotion, and it is my goal to make this experience positive. I suppose one of the biggest lessons for me is that you must treat people with respect. Good things happen to good people and this is one thing I don’t compromise on. We have seen so much goodwill coming back to us from clients, retailers, and industry leaders and I am thankful, but I also know that both Yannis and I believe in working hard and being grateful for every opportunity!
YA: I’ve learned you are only as good as your team and the people you employ to support your business. This is your strength. Investing in a strong team. People that are passionate about the company, good at what they do, and loyal.
Photo Credit: 111 Skin
What’s next in store for the brand and for you both?
EA: My goal for the future is to keep creating products through the lens of what customers want and to find effective solutions to satisfy their needs. 111SKIN is not just a beauty brand – we have a clinic, global 5-star hotel spa partnerships around the world, plus 111CRYO and Light therapy centers — I am very excited to create more experiential treatments so we can connect to our clients on different levels and build a long-term lifestyle journey.
YA: The next step for us is to continue on the successful growth pattern of 111SKIN. I’m excited about our new 2021 launches and to continue to develop innovative products to support customer needs. We’re also focused on promoting healthy skin, not just in relation to skincare, but as a lifestyle choice. The creation of our supplement category has given us a different dimension to support healthy skin.
To learn more about 111SKIN and their clinic 111 Harley St., you can visit their website here. They also recently released their newest product “Concentrates” which can be found here.
